Published: Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 11:07 p.m.

HOUMA — TARC in Houma is facing an increasing need for its day program as state Medicaid programs paying for home care and other services for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults are cut.

TARC Executive Director Mary Lynn Bisland said the group’s day program recently hit capacity with about 50 people enrolled. But TARC is expanding to take in about 10 to 12 more people as need for the services grows. The group is renovating an existing building on the TARC grounds to make room.

TARC is a Terrebonne nonprofit that provides jobs and productive activities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Houma group runs a number of businesses including a restaurant, yard crew and farmer’s market.

For those who can’t work due to severe medical or behavioral issues, TARC has a day program that provides training in daily living skills, helping clients to learn to take care of themselves and their personal needs, Bisland said.

They receive music therapy, exercise, do arts and crafts and perform basic tasks that get them out into the community — like dropping off TARC’s recycling at the parish bins and picking up Mardi Gras beads donated to the center at South Louisiana Bank locations. They also go shopping to pick out their snacks, go to the library and go bowling.

“It helps people to understand that they do the same things we all do,” said Karen Henderson, music therapist and adult services supervisor.

Bisland said cuts of Medicaid services have created increased demand for TARC’s day program.

Previously, a Medicaid waiver program for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities allowed families access to many different kinds of care, including caretakers that would come into their home during the day to aid disabled relatives.

Families were encouraged to sign up for “what they wanted, not what they needed,” Bisland said. The waiver program was supposed to save Medicaid money, but ended up costing more than $100,000 per person per year, Bisland said.

To cut costs, disabled patients are now being evaluated through a tool called the Supports Intensity Scale. The assessment measures a disabled person’s support needs in home living, community living, lifelong learning, employment, health and safety, social activities and other areas.

With the tool in place, fewer families are qualifying to have support staff come into their homes under the tool, and are coming to depend on group day programs like TARC, Bisland said.

The tool has gotten patient costs down from $100,000 per person to about $48,000 per person, Bisland said, and the state hopes to save $43 million per year. Instead of a single staff member caring for one patient, in groups like TARC’s day program, there are eight clients to one qualified staff member, which saves money.

“They’re wanting people to take increased responsibility for their family member,” Bisland said. “People are applying to our day program who would normally just stay at home with a direct support staff member.”

Bisland said TARC is preparing to enroll more people, and no longer has a wait list for its day program. The nonprofit is moving businesses like the Bayouland Yard Krewe that only stay inside for a few hours a day into a shared office to create space for as many as a dozen new clients.

“We’re making room,” Bisland said.

Staff Writer Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.

<p>HOUMA — TARC in Houma is facing an increasing need for its day program as state Medicaid programs paying for home care and other services for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults are cut.</p><p>TARC Executive Director Mary Lynn Bisland said the group's day program recently hit capacity with about 50 people enrolled. But TARC is expanding to take in about 10 to 12 more people as need for the services grows. The group is renovating an existing building on the TARC grounds to make room. </p><p>TARC is a Terrebonne nonprofit that provides jobs and productive activities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Houma group runs a number of businesses including a restaurant, yard crew and farmer's market.</p><p>For those who can't work due to severe medical or behavioral issues, TARC has a day program that provides training in daily living skills, helping clients to learn to take care of themselves and their personal needs, Bisland said.</p><p>They receive music therapy, exercise, do arts and crafts and perform basic tasks that get them out into the community — like dropping off TARC's recycling at the parish bins and picking up Mardi Gras beads donated to the center at South Louisiana Bank locations. They also go shopping to pick out their snacks, go to the library and go bowling. </p><p>“It helps people to understand that they do the same things we all do,” said Karen Henderson, music therapist and adult services supervisor.</p><p>Bisland said cuts of Medicaid services have created increased demand for TARC's day program.</p><p>Previously, a Medicaid waiver program for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities allowed families access to many different kinds of care, including caretakers that would come into their home during the day to aid disabled relatives.</p><p>Families were encouraged to sign up for “what they wanted, not what they needed,” Bisland said. The waiver program was supposed to save Medicaid money, but ended up costing more than $100,000 per person per year, Bisland said.</p><p>To cut costs, disabled patients are now being evaluated through a tool called the Supports Intensity Scale. The assessment measures a disabled person's support needs in home living, community living, lifelong learning, employment, health and safety, social activities and other areas. </p><p>With the tool in place, fewer families are qualifying to have support staff come into their homes under the tool, and are coming to depend on group day programs like TARC, Bisland said.</p><p>The tool has gotten patient costs down from $100,000 per person to about $48,000 per person, Bisland said, and the state hopes to save $43 million per year. Instead of a single staff member caring for one patient, in groups like TARC's day program, there are eight clients to one qualified staff member, which saves money.</p><p>“They're wanting people to take increased responsibility for their family member,” Bisland said. “People are applying to our day program who would normally just stay at home with a direct support staff member.”</p><p>Bisland said TARC is preparing to enroll more people, and no longer has a wait list for its day program. The nonprofit is moving businesses like the Bayouland Yard Krewe that only stay inside for a few hours a day into a shared office to create space for as many as a dozen new clients.</p><p>“We're making room,” Bisland said.</p><p>Staff Writer Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.</p>